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Tekken 8 Season 2 Changes Spark Outrage, Pros Threaten Boycott, Steam Reviews Plummet

by Peyton May 18,2025

The Tekken 8 community is up in arms following the Season 2 update, which has introduced a series of contentious changes to the game. According to the patch notes, there's been a significant buff to character damage potential and offensive pressure, leading to widespread criticism that the game has deviated from the traditional Tekken experience.

Professional Tekken player JoKa expressed his frustration, stating, "this does not feel like Tekken AT ALL." He elaborated on his concerns, pointing out that even minor character buffs, enhanced stance-based transitions, and the addition of new moves with little counterplay are shifting the game away from its roots. JoKa criticized the balance changes for removing character identities and increasing combo damage across the board, questioning the effectiveness of improved sidesteps when overpowered moves with extensive tracking and hitboxes exist. He also highlighted the lack of promised defensive options and the excessive chip damage from heat smashes, arguing that the focus on 50/50 situations detracts from the strategic depth that defines Tekken.

T8 now hit the most negative reviews in a day since the day the Tekken Shop launched one year ago
byu/YourGameTVlol inTekken

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }As expected, the backlash has manifested on Tekken 8's Steam page, where over 1,100 negative reviews have been posted in the last two days, resulting in a 'mostly negative' rating for recent reviews. The current 'most helpful' review poignantly states, "Genuinely good game held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell." Other reviews lament the new season's emphasis on easy mix-up mechanics without corresponding defensive buffs, criticizing the balance team for prioritizing overwhelming offense over player agency.

The dissatisfaction is so profound that some fans are turning to Capcom's Street Fighter 6, while others label Season 2 as the "worst patch in Tekken history." Several professional players are even considering abandoning Tekken 8 entirely.

I don't know if I'll continue playing Tekken if this patch stays.
I'm sorry for doomposting, but I thought it had a chance to be a better game.
I'm just really sad.
Like depressed.
I streamed 70 hours of Tekken this past week to prep for s2 just to have those hopes shattered.
Gn.

— END | Jesandy (@Jesandy1572) April 1, 2025

The community is now clamoring for a response from the development team, with many calling for either a complete rollback of the patch or an emergency follow-up to address the key issues raised by players.